


Shadow Play - Series Two: Doomsday (2)

by lhigginns67



Category: Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane Smith (Big Finish Audio)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24385300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lhigginns67/pseuds/lhigginns67
Summary: Sarah Jane and Ruby have been captured, but that soon becomes the least of their problems.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter One

‘You cannot start an illegal war, Miss White. Let alone on a Level Five planet.’  
Ruby snorted, folding her arms. Sarah Jane looked between Ruby and the slender man between them. The long knives that his guards were holding against her and Sarah Jane’s throats didn’t seem to bother Ruby. Sarah Jane wasn’t sure how exactly they had ended up here. An injustice collector, or so the man said. Well, he certainly wasn’t the police.   
‘Pretty empty threat to an exile, sonny boy.’  
Please don’t push this, thought Sarah Jane.   
‘I didn’t, anyway,’ Ruby continued. ‘She did.’  
She motioned to Sarah Jane.   
The man looked at her, and paused.   
‘Nice try.’  
Without changing his deadpan demeanour, the man stepped towards Ruby.   
‘We don’t bother with the trial for your type. Venom Grubs are looking to be the way.’  
Ruby stood, unmoved.   
‘Wrong species, mate.’  
The man folded his arms.   
‘Where’s the other one?’   
Ruby looked at him, playfully.   
‘Other what?’  
‘Gluttonous incriminator.’  
Ruby shrugged, glancing at the knife on her throat.   
‘Terribly blunt, this,’ she said. ‘You’ll have to do better.’  
The man stepped back, looking at Ruby’s arm.   
‘That’s a rather nice bracelet you’re wearing.’  
Ruby glanced at it.   
‘I suppose so.’  
‘It’s rather beautiful,’ the man continued. ‘Where’d you get it?’  
Ruby raised her wrist, eyeing her bracelet.   
‘A dear old friend, god rest her soul. Just the one, I’m afraid.’  
The man nodded.   
‘It’d probably be a little small for mine, anyway.’  
He motioned for the knives to be lowered.   
Sarah Jane looked at him, and Ruby’s look of mock-surprise.   
‘Oh, letting us go now, are-‘  
Ruby cried out, as the man threw a right hook into her stomach. He pushed her back-first against the floor, motioning Sarah Jane to follow.   
The man produced a strapped device, and wrapped their wrists together, fusing it onto their flesh in the process. Ruby lashed out, but in vain.   
‘Let’s see you feed on this, Qetesh.’  
The man activated something on the device, and the two women disappeared. 

Sarah Jane and Ruby landed against the gravel. As they gradually regained their footing, Sarah Jane held her throbbing head. The two women surveyed their surroundings. Everything looked...fine. Some people, out and about. Shopping. Another woman walked by, with a...phone - a wireless phone - against her ear? That was new. It was all new.   
Something was surely wrong.


	2. Chapter Two

‘Didn’t mean to be evil, Ruby? I bloody doubt that.’  
Linehan looked at the other woman, nibbling on vanilla cheesecake. It had to be said, Ruby had made a good job of passing herself off as human. Ruby set down her fork.   
‘It’s just the way my species are,’ she replied. ‘I merely found myself playing along.’  
Linehan didn’t break her nondescript expression. Ruby could not have picked a better day to turn up at the house.   
‘Do Staton and Mallory know what they’re getting themselves into?’ Linehan asked.   
Ruby smirked.   
‘They won’t have a choice.’  
Linehan folded her arms.   
‘And this Sarah Jane, what of her?’  
‘What of her, indeed.’  
Ruby’s grin was far too smug for Linehan’s liking. She placed down her fork.   
‘Destruction. The stuff of beauty.’


	3. Chapter Three

‘I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.’  
Sarah Jane didn’t think it was a matter of where they were, but when. Ruby watched her glance around for something, anything that would-  
‘Why not just ask someone for the year?’ Ruby suggested.   
‘I can’t just-‘  
‘Investigative journalist, and that.’  
Sarah Jane sighed. She looked around, spotting a dark skinned girl.   
Ruby followed Sarah Jane towards the girl, not that the device binding them together left much choice.   
‘This is going to sound a bit daft,’ Sarah Jane began. ‘But...uh...could you tell us the year, please?’  
The girl couldn’t have been any older than fifteen, and would probably react pretty typically for someone that age.   
‘Blimey,’ the girl replied, bemused. ‘What are you two on? It’s 2008.’  
Sarah Jane nodded, and thanked the girl, turning away to catch Ruby in a fit of giggles. Sarah Jane scowled, which seemed to make no difference to Ruby. She looked at the device melded to their wrists.   
‘Just like old times for you, eh?’ Ruby remarked.   
None of her trips in the Tardis had been without a capsule, so not exactly, no.   
‘Why did he send us here, Ruby? Why to this year?’  
Ruby shrugged.   
‘How about you ask that girl again?’  
Sarah Jane rolled her eyes. She couldn’t decide whether to be relieved at being away from the horrific chaos in 1996, or anxious about their current surroundings.   
Ruby chuckled.   
‘I wonder if we’ll run into Claudia, at all.’  
Sarah Jane stared hard at Ruby. How dare she.   
‘Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ Sarah Jane snapped.   
‘Not as much as you.’  
Sarah Jane fought the burning urge to...oh, forget it. Loving every second of this, Ruby was. Just loving it.


	4. Chapter Four

‘Do as you’re bloody told.’  
Roberts hovered a circular device over Mallory’s head, whilst she sat in a chair.   
Ruby smiled, while Linehan just watched with that familiar deadpan look. Mallory claimed she wasn’t frightened, but time would tell.   
‘I enjoyed you doing that, Mallory,’ Ruby said. ‘Now you’re going to tell me why you did that.’  
Mallory folded her arms.   
‘I’m guessing you’ll kill me, if I don’t?’  
Ruby chuckled, stepping towards her.   
‘There’d be nothing - quite literally nothing - in it for me, if that happened.’  
‘What about this?’   
Ruby turned, and-  
SMASH!  
She jarred, then fell.   
Linehan dumped the shattered glass object, and whipped out a pistol at Roberts.   
He froze. Linehan helped Mallory to her feet, keeping the pistol aimed, as the two women exited the room.


	5. Chapter Five

If the world was being torn apart in 1996, how could this - their current surroundings - exist, thought Sarah Jane. Despite all of her adventures with the Doctor, it still managed to baffle her. Was that man trying to make a point? Punishing Ruby?   
‘I could’ve fed on him.’  
Sarah Jane and Ruby continued along, approaching a string of shops. ‘Or Linehan,’ Ruby muttered.  
Sarah Jane looked at her.   
‘Linehan?’  
Ruby nodded, as they entered a newsagent. A slip of the tongue, maybe? Off-limits, by the sound of it, anyway. Two other people were inside. One familiar looking.   
‘Ask her the day,’ Ruby quipped. ‘I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell you.’  
Oh, for goodness sake.   
The two of them began to walk around, just as the teenage girl looked up.   
‘Oh, hello there,’ she smiled. ‘You all right now, then?’  
Sarah Jane cleared her throat.   
‘Yeah, I’m sorry about that - just a bit of an off-day.’  
The girl nodded.   
‘Happens to us all. I’m Rani, by the way.’  
‘Sarah Jane. And this is Ruby.’  
Ruby exchanged a smile.   
Sarah Jane caught Rani’s glance at the device around her and Ruby’s wrists.   
‘Long story.’  
‘Very long story,’ Ruby said.   
‘What happened?’  
Sarah Jane’s eyes darted between Rani and Ruby. A teenager was hardly the appropriate person to tell any of this, let alone one they had only just met.   
Sarah Jane turned.   
‘I’m sorry-‘  
Ruby tugged.   
Sarah Jane sighed.   
‘Well...’  
‘Tell her. We’ve got all day.’  
Sarah Jane looked at Rani.   
‘I...’  
Sarah Jane winced as Ruby pulled her towards the door. Rani watched, deciding to follow them.   
Beep, beep, beep...  
Sarah Jane and Ruby looked at the device. Rani hurried toward them-  
The three of them vanished. 

Sarah Jane and Ruby landed in a heap on the ground, with Rani just keeping her balance. As they climbed to their feet, Sarah Jane and Ruby looked around.   
That empty street. Except not so empty. Bodies scattered. Fires - explosions - raging everywhere. Sirens. Screams.   
‘Suck on this, Qetesh.’  
The three of them turned to see a woman smirking at them, upholding a circular device. She activated it.   
Ruby clutched her head, screaming, taking Sarah Jane down with her to her knees.   
‘Suck. On. This.’


	6. Chapter Six

Sarah Jane looked between the woman crying out, and the one with the device. Then at Rani, who looked as panicked, if not more than, as Sarah Jane.   
‘No - don’t move!’  
Too late.   
Rani tackled the woman with the device, and the two hit the ground, the device flying out of the woman’s hand.   
Silence.   
Sarah Jane looked at Ruby, lying flat on her chest.   
‘Ruby?’  
No answer.   
‘Let go of me!’  
Sarah Jane looked to see the woman clutching Rani.   
‘Oh dear,’ she taunted.   
Sarah Jane turned as Ruby stirred.   
‘Stand up, both of you.’  
Gently, Sarah Jane helped Ruby to her feet, the latter leaning against Sarah Jane for support.   
‘Linehan.’  
Linehan released Rani, and smiled.   
She revealed a gun - stun gun?  
‘Eye for an eye, Ruby.’  
Sarah Jane jarred, and fell. Sharp pain. Shaking. She couldn’t...couldn’t feel a thing.   
‘Sarah Jane...’  
Strange taste in her mouth. Everything...going...

To Be Continued


End file.
